CoI recommendations being implemented at Bajpe Airport

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, May 4: The court of inquiry (CoI) held under the leadership of Air Marshal B. N. Gokhale on the Mangalore plane crash of May 22, 2010 has recommended certain safety measures to prevent such happenings in future.

The air crash had killed 158 passengers and crew members, and only 8 managed to survive. The plane had overshot runway 24 before plunging into the Kenjar gorge.

The government and the DGCA are now eager to implement some of the safety measures recommended by the CoI. Phase 1 of the project, which is worth Rs. 3.5 crore, has already commenced at the end of the runway. It is expected to conclude in five months.

A 237-metre area is being filled up to bring it up to the level of the runaway, and a sand arrester facility to prevent planes from getting out of the runway is also being constructed. Distance Go markers worth Rs. 10.5 lakh, which facilitate safe landings, are now being fitted on the runways. These markers assist pilots in assessing runway length on landing.